Hopper feed



G. w. BINNS July 14, 1931.

HOPPER FEED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4, 1929 Q G W Binns July14,1931. G. w. BINNS 1,814,279

I HO'PPER FEED Filed June 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z8 HM i 56 I I; 48/"U Patented July 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE I GEORGE W.BINNS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 CINCINNATI GRINDERS IN-CORPORATED, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO HOPPER FEEDApplication filed June 4, 1929. Serial No. 868,261.

This invention relates to improvements in grinding machinery and moreparticularly to a mechanism for selective supplying of work piecesthereto.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a mechanism foruse in conjunction with an automatic grinding-machine which willsatisfactorily sort out irregular shaped pieces from a hopper andproperly select the end thereof, which will be presented for entranceinto the grinding throat of the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should be readilyapparent by reference to the following specification, considered inconjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and it is to be understoodthat I may make any modifications in the specific structural detailshereinafter disclosed, within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a grindingmachine with the improved selector mechanism applie thereto. 7 A

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the mechanism.

Figure 3 is a front viewthereof.

Figure 4: is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 3.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the bed of a centerlessgrinding machine having thereon the wheel head 11 supporting a grindingwheel and the, regulating wheel unit 12 supporting an opposed regulatingwheel of a standard centerless grinder,

it being understood that these parts, to-

gether, provide a work receiving throat.

The present invention has been illustrated as utilized in connectionwith the grinding of tapered articles 13, such as rollers foranti-friction bearings. These, in their rough form as in the finishedcondition, have a smaller diameter at one end than at the other and itis essential in automatic performance of the grinding operation that thesmaller end be presented to the grinding throat, in

order that they may be suitably, axially in-' troduced between thewheels for proper stock removal therefrom.

To facilitate the introduction of the work, there is mounted upon thebed 10 a control unit 14:,including a drive motor 15 and a shaft 16operated thereby. Shaft 16 is provided with an eccentric 17, coupled bylink 18 with an arm 19 on rock shaft 20, which controls the functioningof the present mechanism.

Rising from the unit 14 is .a bracket 21, bearing a suitable hopper 22for reception of work pieces 13. This hopper has a discharge throat, asat 23, with a depending collar 24, in which is slidably mounted theagitator tube 25 riding on the inner feed tube 26 carried by bracket 21.Reciprocation of member 25 is effected through collar 27, coupled asbypins 29 with rock arm 28 on shaft 20. The operation of these partsshould be clear by reference to Figure 2, in which it will be noted thatas link 18 is shifted by eccentric 17, shaft 20 will be rocked and tube25- moved from a position below the discharge throat 23 of the hopper toa position within the hopper, serving to agitate the work pieces thereinso that by gravity they will roll or move downward into the hopper andthrough tubes 25 and 26.

Tube 26 has alaterally curving portion 30, terminating at table 31 nearthe base of bracket 21'. Table 31 has a discharge aperture at 32 and acommunicating work receiving groove or, slot 33, the slot being of lesswidth than the greater diameter of the Work piece. As a result, when awork piece is laterally disposed on the shelf to overlie the slot itwould tend to fit downward in the slot and the restriction is such thatthemajor portion of the work piece may swing down ward into the slot,being just supported at the upper or larger end thereof so that thesuccessive tapered work pieces are thereby auto matically positioned todrop the smaller end first through the feed tube 34. To facilitateadjustment of the width of the slot, use may be made of an adjustablelateral guide plate 35, as shown in Figure 4.

Control of movement of the work pieces from tube 30 across table 31 andlongitudinally of slot 33 is effected through the following describedmechanism.

Coupled with collar 27 is a link 36 having its other end pivoted torrockarm 37 having a T head 38. This lever is intermediately pivoted as at 39with lug 40 on bracket 21, one of its cam ends engaging arm 42 of pusher43 and the opposed cam portion of head 38 engaging lug 44 on rock arm45, coupled to shaft 46 with pusher 47. An interponent spring 48 couplesmembers 42 and and serves-as a joint means for resiliently urging bothof said arms into engagement with the cam head 38. Relative pivotalmounting of the two parts is such that as tube 25 israised, head 38 willurge pusher 43 into retracted position and at the same time will cause alow spot thereon to engage lug 44 so that spring 48 will be effective toshift pusher '47, laterally urging a work piece 13 into alignment withslot 33. As this is a resilient urge, the work piece may be positivelymoved into direct alignment with the slot and serve as the limit ofoscillation in this direction of the pusher 47. When collar 27 and link36 are shifted in a reverse direction, the head 38 will positivelyretract pusher 47 and at the same time spring 48 will cause arm 42 tofollow the contour of head 38, allowing pusher 43 to resiliently shiftthe work piece longitudinally of the slot until it overlies thedischarge or feed tube 32.

It will thus be noted that the two pusher members 43 and 47 areresiliently, alternately actuated into engagement with the work piece sothat the work pieces are successively shifted from tube to slot and slotto feed tube, the member 47 in conjunction with adjustable guide 50limiting introduction of work pieces to one at a time, while the tableitself is preferably disposed at an angle, as indicated in Figure 2, sothat the Work pieces will not roll into the slot but must be positivelyactuated in the direction thereof and there is no liabilityof jamming ofa work piece behind pusher 43 in its advanced position.

From the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, you will see there has been provided a simple andefiicient coeoperative mechanism permitting of loose introduction ofworkpieces in a hopper combined with an agitator to stir up the piecesand cause them to tend to be discharged by gravity from the hopper,coupled with a selector mechanism operated by the agitator forsuccessively imparting step by step advance to individual work piecesand for automatically determining the position of the work pieces,during 2. The combination with a centerless grinder of a feed mechanismtherefor including a hopper, a discharge member for the hopper, anagitator movable within the hopper, a discharge line from the hopper,means in the discharge line for automatically determining the manner ofeventual discharge of pieces therefrom, and operative connectionsbetween the agitator and selector mechanisms for effooting jointoperation thereof.

3. A selector mechanism for a tapered roll grinder or the like,including a pair of feed tubes, means for transferring individual workpieces from one to the other of said tubes, and means intermediate thetubes for insuring initial presentation of the smaller diameter of thearticle to the entrance of the second tube.

4. A selector mechanism of 'the character described, including spacedfeed and discharge lines, means for alternately shifting an individualwork piece along angularly related branches of a feed path from one toanother of said mechanisms, and means for retarding advance of aselected portion of the individual 'work piece in the path to insurepredetermined manner of entrance of the work piece into the dischargetube.

5. A selector mechanism of the nature disclosed, including a hopper, adischarge'tube for the hopper, a spaced work receiving tube, a table atthe terminus of the discharge tube, means for laterally shifting a workpiece on the table, a restricted slot adjacent the table, and means fortransversely shifting a work piece along theslot wherebyinter-engagement of the walls of the slot and the work piece willautomatically determine the manner of presentation of the work piece tothe work receiving tube.

along the slot whereby inter-engagement of the walls of the slot and thework piece will automatically determine the manner of presmeans forlaterally shifting a work piece on the table, a restricted'slot adjacentthe table, means for transversely shifting a work piece along the slotwhereby inter engagement of the walls of the slot and the work piecewill automatically determine the manner of pres-' entation of the workpiece to the work receiving tube, and means for individually,resiliently actuating the shifter mechanism in an operative direction.

8. A selector mechanism of the nature disclosed, including a hopper,discharge tube for the hopper, a spaced work receiving tube,

a table at the terminus of the dischargetube,

means for laterally shifting a work piece on the table, a restrictedslot adjacent the table, means for transversely shifting a work piecealong the slotwhereby inter-engagement of the walls of the slot and thework piece will automatically determine the manner of presentation ofthe work piece to the work receiving tube, means for individually,resiliently actuating the shifter mechanism in an operative direction,and a single means for alternately moving said members into inoperativeposition. j

9. In a device of the class described the combination of a hopper, meansforconveyin work from the hopper, a work receiving 7 table at the end ofthe conveying means, work positioning means adjacent the table, a pusherfor transferring the work from the table to the positioning means, aconveyor operatively associated with the ositioning means, and a secondpusher for ischarging the work from the posltioning means into theconveyor.

10. In a device of the class described the combination of a hopper,means for conveying work from the hopper, a work receiving table at theend of the conveying means, work positioning means adjacent the table, apusher transferring the work from the table to the positioning means, aconveyor operatively associated with the positioning means, a secondpusher for discharging the work from the positioning means into theconveyor, and means synchronizing the movement of thepushers whereby thework is actuated across the table to the positioning means ahead of thesecond pusher.

11. In a device of the class described the combination of a hopper,means for convey: ing work pieces from said hopper in a continuousstream, 7 a work receiving table atthe terminus of said conveying means,work positioning means adjacent the table comprising an adjustablemember inovable relative to the table and forming a work receiving slottherewith, and means for successively placing work pieces in saidpositioning slot and discharging the said work therefrom.

12. In a device of the class described the combination of a hopper,means for conveyin'g work pieces from said hopper in a continuousstream, a work receiving table at the terminus of said conveying means,work positioning means adjacent the table comprising an adjustablemember movable relative to the table and forming a work receiving slottherewith, means for successively placing work pieces in saidpositioning slot and discharging the said work therefrom, and meanslocking said adjustable member and table "relative to one another wherework of different sizes may be accomm ated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

.- GEORGE W. BINNS.

